13 Big Questions We Hope 'Westworld' Season 2 Will Answer

dolores and man in black on westworld finale
John P. Johnson/HBO
John P. Johnson/HBO
Warning: This post contains spoilers through Westworld's Season 1 finale. Head to our hub Westworld World for more recaps, theories, interviews, and deep dives.

If Season 1 is any indication, Westworld will forever be one of those insane, hair-pulling shows that makes you say, Wait, what? How? What's Reddit have to say about this? The finale did give us some crucial answers, confirming the long-held William-is-the-Man-in-Black theory, while also introducing an entirely new park, killing off one of its most intriguing characters, and giving at least one other character a shot at freedom. But unfortunately, many questions remain. Here's what we'll have to sit with until 2018 (seriously, two stupid years), until Westworld returns.

ben barnes and jimmi simpson on hbo westworld
John P. Johnson/HBO

What happened to Logan?

The last look we got at Ben Barnes' character was A Portrait of the Loser Douchebag As a Sad, Naked Horseman, as a swift spank from William (Jimmi Simpson) sent the "unstable" brother-in-law-to-be and his horsebot into the horizon. But was the Delos scion riding to his death, or to an eventual security rescue? It seems unlikely that William would've intentionally killed Logan. He tells Dolores as much later in the finale, noting he wasn't trying to stage a coup at Delos -- he just wanted to find her. Whether wandering the park or plotting revenge in the real world, perhaps ousted from or marginalized at his family's company, there's a good chance Logan is still alive. And maybe that means someone will have to join Westworld as an older Logan for a Season 2 match-up with Ed Harris' William. (Hey, how busy are you, Kurt Russell?) If so, big story gaps need filling.

Hey, Elsie and Stubbs, where'd you guys go?

Westworld's head of security was lured to the middle of nowhere, only to be kidnapped by the Ghost Nation. It's easy to assume he could've been killed, but technically, we never saw his dead body. Same goes for Elsie: Though we saw Bernard choking her in a memory, it's possible he didn't completely silence her. (Maybe Ford was technically not lying when he said Bernard hadn't killed anybody before. Maybe we only saw half of that memory.)

thandie newton on hbo westworld
John P. Johnson/HBO

Did Maeve make the decision to stay in the park?

One of the finale's most compelling scenes revealed all of the rogue madam's moves to be predetermined -- including her decision to engineer an escape plan. So was it Ford who set Maeve on her rebellious path all along? Is someone else pulling her strings? Or did Maeve jump off the train of her own volition and become the fully conscious being she always wanted to be? Unfortunately she crushed Bernard's tablet, so we never got to learn who was meddling with her code.

Is there more to Logan's old photo?

Unfortunately, that old pic of Logan's sister became more of a talking point than anything else -- we never got a legit explanation as to why Peter Abernathy freaked out when he saw it. Did he recognize the young woman, or had he interacted with her before? Will this pic come back into play in Season 2? It would be nice to learn more about the Man in Black's late wife -- maybe to even, you know, meet her in a flashback. After all, Delos was technically her family business, too.

Also, what about those weird barn scenes?

In the pilot, when the Man in Black violently dragged Dolores into her family's barn, their reunion held a haunting air of importance, one that made it feel like this particular scene would have to come full circle in the finale. Were we going to revisit this interaction? Would it hold another twist or some sort of character insight? Nope.

anthony hopkins on hbo westworld
John P. Johnson/HBO

What did Ford accomplish?

According to series co-creator Jonathan Nolan, "Ford has set in motion what he thinks is a plan. The nature of that plan is something we explore in the second season: what his intentions are. Are they to let Dolores and the other hosts escape? Are they simply to teach the human guests a lesson?" Or is it something more complicated? Doesn't it seem weird that Ford would go through all this trouble -- seriously, an entire season's worth of deceptive planning -- just to forfeit his dominion to chaos?

And what's at the top of his pyramid?

Earlier in the season, when Ford shared Arnold's pyramid with Bernard, he drew four spaces and left the top one blank. Later in the season, when viewers got to see Arnold's actual pyramid, there were only three -- no blanks. Something's missing.

Was Ford secretly building a robot clone of himself?

Remember when Bernard killed Theresa? A 3-D printer sat in Ford's remote lab, silently laying the skeleton of a new host. At first, many fans thought that particular bot would be the replacement for Theresa -- or maybe even Elsie -- a theory that hasn't proven true. But what if that host was meant for someone else? More specifically: what if Ford let Dolores kill him, because he has plans to come back as an android, with fully operational artificial intelligence? (If you're yelling at your computer screen now because you can't take anymore twists, I'm sorry. I am too. Let it all out.) If that's not the case, what's going to happen to that secret bot?

Samurai World on hbo westworld
HBO

How many other parks are there, and are any of them, like "SW," active?

Seriously.

Wait, and where are all these parks located in the real world?

SERIOUSLY.

What's the deal with Teddy?

Teddy, that poor, dumb robo-idiot who never really got a legit backstory. Ford messed with him so much this season, it's tough to gauge what his role in the new narrative is supposed to be. Will he attain full consciousness -- in a way that might let him be the Robin to Dolores' Batman? Or is he going to keep being a clueless Minion?

What's going to happen to Peter Abernathy and the stolen data?

You know that whole thing about Chekhov's gun? We were told that Peter Abernathy was loaded with REALLY IMPORTANT AND CONTROVERSIAL Delos data, essentially functioning as a walking, talking gun -- one we never got to see go off. Reaaaaaaaally? Well, where did he go? Somehow, we still know next to nothing about Charlotte Hale's precious research. Season 2, you better not disappoint on this front. 

ed harris on hbo westworld
John P. Johnson/HBO

Is the Man in Black actually Wolverine?

Not kidding. For most of the finale, he had what sounded like a broken limb. Then he got shot for real and didn't even flinch, presumably meaning he's still alive and sticking around. Dude's a legit freak.

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Sean Fitz-Gerald is a staff writer at Thrillist Entertainment. Find him on Twitter: @srkfitzgerald.